Ukraine aims to create Kursk ‘buffer zone,’ Zelensky says, as Kyiv’s forces blow up second Russian bridge
By Radina Gigova and Maria Kostenko, CNN
(CNN) — Ukraine’s military incursion into Kursk aims to create a “buffer zone” to prevent cross-border attacks by Moscow’s forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Sunday, as his troops blew up a second bridge in the Russian border region.
Ukrainian forces are inching forward in Kursk amid fighting following the launch of their surprise military operation there nearly two weeks ago. But Ukraine also remains under pressure in its occupied east as Russian forces advance toward a key military hub.
The Kursk offensive has left Russia struggling to shore up its own territory. Kyiv seems to have multiple goals with the assault, from boosting morale after a torrid few months to stretching Russia’s resources. A Ukrainian presidential aide said the incursion aimed at ensuring a “fair” negotiation process.
For the first time, Zelensky on Sunday stated the strategic ambitions of the operation, saying, “It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall: to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions.”
Those include “creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory,” the president said in his latest address.
“Everything that inflicts losses on the Russian army, Russian state, their military-industrial complex, and their economy helps prevent the war from expanding and brings us closer to a just end to this aggression,” Zelensky said.
Speaking on Monday, Zelensky also suggested the incursion could give Ukraine leverage in securing the release of prisoners of war.
During a meeting to discuss Ukraine’s incursion, acting Kursk governor Alexei Smirnov told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Kyiv’s forces had penetrated 12 kilometers (about 7.5 miles) inside Russia and now control 28 settlements within the Kursk region.
More than 121,000 Kursk residents have been evacuated, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations wrote Monday on Telegram, with more than 650 people leaving the region in the past 24 hours.
Despite the shock of Kyiv’s incursion, Russia has continued to advance in eastern Ukraine and is closing in on the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, where authorities are scrambling to evacuate tens of thousands of residents.
Kyiv’s foothold in Kursk is “getting stronger” with troops reinforcing their positions, according to Zelensky. Kyiv says it controls nearly 1,000 square kilometers (about 621 square miles) of Russian territory, and both Russia and Ukraine have urged residents to evacuate from areas where heavy fighting is ongoing.
As part of efforts to cripple Moscow’s logistical capabilities and disrupt supply routes, Ukrainian forces said Sunday they blew up another bridge over the Seym river in the Kursk region, with “precision airstrikes.”
“The Air Force aviation continues to deprive the enemy of logistics capabilities with precision airstrikes, which significantly affects the course of combat operations,” Ukrainian Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk said in a social media post that included a video showing plumes of smoke engulfing parts of the bridge.
The attack comes two days after Ukrainian forces destroyed a first bridge over the Seym. Russia’s foreign ministry said Ukraine had used Western rockets to carry out that attack, which were likely US-made HIMARS.
HIMARS, or the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, has perhaps been the most revered and feared piece of weaponry in Kyiv’s fight and since arriving has helped Ukraine to take back significant swaths of territory from Russia.
The Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState said Sunday that Kyiv is making further gains in Kursk and shared a still image from a video, also geolocated by CNN, of what it said was a Ukrainian Defense Forces tank in the village of Olgovka, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the town of Sudzha.
Kyiv’s forces took control of Sudzha last week and established a military commandant’s office there, according to Ukrainian military officials.
On Sunday, Ukrainian armed forces published a video of what they said were “Sivalka” flamethrower systems “engaged in active combat operations” in the Kursk direction.
Russia appears to have diverted several thousand troops from frontline fighting in occupied Ukraine to address the territorial loss in Kursk.
And residents who fled the area due to the fighting have been warned not to go back.
“The operational situation on the territory of our district remains complicated. Some citizens are not giving up their attempts to return home, thus hindering the work of our military,” said the head of Kursk’s Korenevsky district, Marina Degtyareva, on Sunday. “Returning to the area so far is impossible for local residents, and sometimes results in terrible tragedies.”
Authorities would tell residents when it is safe to return, she added.
“I appeal to all residents of Korenevsky district, let’s be patient and let our military deal with the enemy, let’s not interfere with our defenders,” she said.
Russians reach outskirts of key city
Despite Kyiv’s push further into Kursk, Russian forces are also advancing in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s army has moved closer to the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, which serves as a key hub for the Ukrainian military because of its easy access to the town of Kostiantynivka, another military center. Ukraine uses the road connecting the two to resupply the front lines and evacuate casualties.
Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk military administration, said Monday that officials in Pokrovsk have started the “forced evacuation” of children and their parents as Russian troops close in on the city. More than 53,000 people remain in Pokrovsk, including 4,000 children, according to local officials.
Serhii Dobriak, head of the Pokrovsk city military administration, warned earlier that residents have “1-2 weeks to leave, no more.”
“The Russians are close, up to 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the outskirts of the town. The town is getting ready,” Dobriak said on Sunday.
“Every town in Donetsk region has a combat unit assigned to it, and defense plans have been developed. We are working with the military to build fortifications. This is a continuous process.”
Zelensky said Sunday that Ukrainian units “are doing everything to hold the positions” amid dozens of attacks on the front lines in Donetsk.
The evacuation of civilians from Pokrovsk has been accelerated because of the approach of Russian troops. Nearly 1,800 people have been evacuated from the city over the past week alone; until recently 450-500 residents were being evacuated every month.
“The Russians are destroying our towns and villages, killing civilians, so we need to think about our safety and evacuate,” Dobriak said. “Currently, the town is being hit by missiles, MLRS, and there have been several guided aerial bomb attacks.”
Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Sunday urged residents of Pokrovsk and other settlements “in the immediate vicinity of the front line” to evacuate and “leave for safer regions.”
Vereshchuk said she understood residents would have to leave their jobs, homes and property, but “nevertheless, the lives and health of you and your children are more valuable,” and staying in the area would interfere with the work of the defense forces.
Intense fighting is also underway around the villages of Pivnichne and Zalizne in Donetsk, about 64 kilometers (40 miles) east of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces launched “a massive assault” Sunday morning, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
“The Russian invaders, supported by an armored group of 12 vehicles, attempted to break through the Ukrainian military positions and advance toward Toretsk,” the General Staff said, referring to another strategic town that could open the way for Russian forces to advance toward Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Over the past week, Russia used more than 40 missiles, 750 guided aerial bombs and 200 attack drones against Ukrainian cities and villages, Zelensky said Sunday.
“For such terror, the occupier must be held accountable before the courts and history. They are already facing the strength of our warriors,” Zelensky said.
Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Ukrainian army chief, told Zelensky, “Our guys are doing great on all fronts,” but he called for Ukraine’s Western partners including the United States, the United Kingdom and France to deliver supplies quicker.
“There are no vacations in war,” Syrskyi said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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CNN’s Mariya Knight, Anna Chernova and Eve Brennan contributed reporting.
